Environmental Geochemistry Issues Semi-Monthly

N. Y. Top Court Decides Towns Can Ban Fracking   (Daniel WIESSNER,  Reuters ; June 30 2014) http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0F525O20140630? irpc =932

     Contaminants of Emerging Concern , or CECs, are chemical compounds frequently used by industry, agriculture, and consumers alike. These persistent, mostly unregulated "micropollutants"   have been found in soils, sediments, and sludge; as well as natural, effluent, and drinking waters. Therefore, CECs may disrupt not only various ecosystems within the natural environment, but may also pose serious risks to human health. Event: Emerging Contaminants Summit 2018 March 6 -7, 2018 Westminster, CO  http://www.contaminantssummit.com/ Free Select Sessions Streamed Live on March 6, 2018! Register at the following link : https://onlinexperiences.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:APIUTILS!51004&PageID=013DCC47-7E1A-4EF6-B3D4-5724CB4DD03A&Affiliate=richmedia Websites : Contaminants of Emerging Concern [U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)]: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/cec/ Emerging Contaminants in the ...

California's Catastrophic Drought Just Got Worse - A Lot Worse (Todd WOODY, Takepart.com; June 20, 2014) http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/06/20/californias-catastrophic-drought-just-got-worse-lot-worse N. B. :  This article contains three infographics from the U. S. Drought Monitor for the following dates:      1)  June 17, 2014      2)  June 10, 2014      3)  June 18, 2013

     As the bioavailability of a particular chemical species can produce detrimental human health effects, trace element speciation in groundwater, surface water and drinking waters has been of major concern in the natural environment for decades.  Many states, as well as the U. S. EPA, have only regulated total chromium levels in drinking water, with the total chromium standard (including Trivalent Chromium or the Chromium-3 chemical species) being 50 ppb and 100 ppb , respectively.  The state of California has now established a " groundbreaking" drinking water regulation for Hexavalent Chromium, or the Chromium-6 chemical species (a known carcinogen), at a maximum contaminant level of 10 ppb.   Information concerning this new regulation can be found below: Groundwater Information Sheet – Hexavalent Chromium   [State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB); May 2014] http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/gama/docs/coc_hexchromcr6.pdf Chro...

California Drought Plan Would Build Reservoirs, Clean Up Drinking Water (Sharon BERNSTEIN, Reuters ; June 17, 2014) http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/18/us-usa-california-drought-bonds-idUSKBN0ET02N20140618 California SB No. 42 Fact Sheet (WOLK, 2012): http://mavensnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/SB-42-FACt-SHEET-LTRHD-9-12-13.pdf The Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Flood Protection Act [California Senate Bill (SB) No. 42:   Senator Lois WOLK, Third Senate District] http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sb_42_bill_20130911_amended_sen_v97.pdf Research Articles: Case Study on Potential Agricultural Response to Climate Change in a California Landscape (JACKSON et al., 2011) http://ucanr.edu/sites/Jackson_Lab/files/155594.pdf Satellites Measure Recent Rates of Groundwater Depletion in California’s Central Valley (FAMIGLIETTI et al., 2011) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2010GL046442/pdf...

4 In 10 Higher Risk Wells Aren’t Inspected by Feds   (Hope YEN and Thomas PEIPERT, Associated Press; June 15, 2014) http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OIL_AND_GAS_FEDERAL_OVERSIGHT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Increased Fracking without Increased Inspections puts the Environment at Risk  (The Editorial Board, The Washington Post; June 8, 2014) http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/increased-fracking-without-increased-inspections-puts-the-environment-at-risk/2014/06/08/fa4cf002-edb6-11e3-b84b-3393a45b80f1_story.html Nearly Half of Wyoming Oil, Gas Wells Uninspected   ( Associated Press/SFGate ; June 14, 2014) http://www.sfgate.com/business/energy/article/Nearly-half-of-Wyoming-oil-gas-wells-uninspected-5553481.php BLM Proposal and GAO Report Oil and Gas; Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal and Indian Lands  [Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM); 43 CFR Part 3160] http://www.blm.gov...